March Madness: 2017 Final Four is the beauty of the NCAA Tournament
The 2017 March Madness edition of the Final Four is the beauty of March and the NCAA Tournament.
The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament is normally about the Cinderella stories, the double-digit seeds who capture the attention of the nation, and the historic upsets. But typically, when we reach the second or even the third weekend, the cream of the crop rises to the top of the Big Dance.
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This year, that hasn’t exactly been the case, which represents the beauty of March.
The Duke Blue Devils, one of the favorites to capture the crown after winning four games in four games in the ACC Tournament in Brooklyn, was eliminated in the second round by an upstart South Carolina team. The Kansas Jayhawks, another favorite, lost in the Elite Eight for the second straight season, getting dominated by the Oregon Ducks on their way to a shocking loss just 40 miles from their campus. The Villanova Wildcats, yet another favorite and the number one overall seed in the tournament, was dropped in the second round by the veteran-laden Wisconsin Badgers.
North Carolina has an opportunity to avenge their National Championship loss to Villanova but other than the Tar Heels, the three other teams heading to Phoenix later this week are new blood.
Gonzaga and South Carolina will both be playing in their first Final Four’s in school history while the Oregon Ducks haven’t competed on college basketball’s grandest stage since they won the first ever tournament in 1939.
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It took the Bulldogs of Gonzaga 18 straight tournament appearances to finally reach the Final Four. They have been disrespected as a program that beats up on low-level competition (the West Coast Conference) before coming up short under Mark Few in March.
But this Gonzaga team has been different. In fact, this might be the best Gonzaga team that has ever stepped on a basketball court. The Zags have an elite defense, depth and balance, size and versatility on the interior, guards who can make plays off the dribble and drill shots from the perimeter, and most importantly, high major talent.
The seven-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks had virtually no hope of making the Final Four. They lost six of nine games heading into the NCAA Tournament and had very little offensive production outside of Sindarius Thornwell. Their defense was elite all season but they scored just 86 points in a four-overtime loss versus Alabama and lost their final two games of the season, including their first match-up in the SEC Tournament.
Now, Frank Martin and the Gamecocks are headed to Phoenix, something no one in their right mind thought was realistic.
And then there’s the Oregon Ducks.
Most people counted out Dana Altman’s unit after the Ducks lost big man Chris Boucher to a season-ending ACL tear. Instead, Tyler Dorsey has become a March sensation, Jordan Bell is playing out of his mind and Dylan Ennis is providing Oregon with a veteran presence on the perimeter. Their leading scorer and best player during the regular season, Dillon Brooks, has yet to score 20+ points in a single NCAA Tournament game and Oregon is still in the Final Four.
The Ducks were a number one seed for the first time in school history during the 2016 NCAA Tournament but Altman’s squad just didn’t have the experience necessary to get past Buddy Hield and the Oklahoma Sooners in the Elite Eight. A year later, the Ducks are not only in the Final Four but they have a chance to win their first National Title in 78 years.
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So yes, many of us would prefer to see the blue bloods, the NBA prospects and the top teams in the nation playing in the Final Four — this creates more intriguing match-ups and better games. But let’s be honest, the 2017 Final Four is unique. There are picture perfect storylines and two West Coast teams that are searching to cut down the nets in Arizona. Could we ask for anything better?